A 12-year-old Prairie Village girl who was pushed to the brink by bullies has found a way to battle back in the world of mixed-martial arts.

Claire Teitgan works hard at Brass Boxing and Jiu-Jitsu to train for her next grappling match.

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“I don’t mind getting dirty – in the mud,” she said. “I just have fun. (I’m) a normal 12-year-old kid.”

Claire had been bullied since first grade and it came to a tipping point last year.

“I didn’t want to get up in the morning. I didn’t care how I looked, how my grades were. I didn’t care about anything,” she said.

“All of a sudden, we’re cleaning her room and we find these suicidal notes throughout, in her closet, under her bed. We found her diary,” said Charlie Tietgen, Claire’s father.

A note scribbled on her walls said she wanted to die.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m going to lose my daughter,’” he said.

In the year that followed, Claire underwent a transformation. The girl Charlie Tietgen knew is gone.

“The light is brighter. At first, when she came in, you could see it flicker,” said Austen Ford, Claire’s trainer.

Ford, who now acts more like a big brother to Claire, said he saw potential in her immediately.

“We were talking about the Olympics the first day,” said Ford.

Claire’s parents said that’s when they knew that the sport of grappling could save their daughter.

“I have more self-esteem than I’ve ever had in my 12 years of living,” Claire said. “Now people are still being mean, of course. It’s life, and I’m, like, ‘Whatever. I don’t care.’ So I walk away. I erase it from my memory.”

She is also erasing the experience of being bullied and replacing it with impressive moments on the mat. Claire is undefeated and has beaten every boy she’s competed against.

She’s also received star treatment since the UFC picked up on her story, meeting MMA stars like Anderson Silva, Nick Diaz, UFC President Dana White and Claire’s idol, Ronda Rousey.

She said her plan is to keep winning on the mat and find ways to help others.

“I’m so thankful I overcame this because if I didn’t have wrestling, if I didn’t have any of this, I would not be here today,” Claire said.

She said she hopes to serve as an inspiration to the countless kids who still battle bullies every day.

Claire has won nine gold medals at tournaments since starting her training last year, beating several boys in the process. She’s also starting a charity to help other bullied children find outlets to help boost their self-esteem.